How to create a temporary pop-up store?

How to create a temporary pop-up store?

Suppose you are a retail or small business in the retail industry or have a brick-and-mortar business. In that case, pop-up stores are a great way to get your online business out there, grow a following, and make some extra cash, but they can be stressful if you don't have a business plan. Here are some tips on how to create the best possible retail shopping experience for your shoppers and keep them coming back for more:

Prepare for the Pop up’s Big Day!

If you're planning a Pop-up store, you should do a few things in advance. First, ensure your Pop-up shop concept is ready to roll out the gate. If it's not, consider making some adjustments before moving forward with the business plan. Second, create a list of tasks that must be completed before opening day, like an outline and design of your storefront, types of loyalty programs for your customer, and preparing a mobile app for email opt-in. Third and finally: ensure that you have everything set up at least two weeks before opening day, so there will be no last-minute scrambling or stress when the clock strikes noon on Thursday!

The last thing anyone wants on their mind during an important event like this is logistical details like "How am I going to get there?" or "Did I remember my passport?" Ensure these things are taken care of beforehand so they don't distract from what matters most—your shoppers' experience at your pop-up store!

Store design and choosing a temporary store location.

You want to choose a convenient location for your shoppers, easy to find and has enough space for your inventory. You also want to ensure it’s easy to set up and take down. Malls with rental kiosks, safe vacant spaces, some storefronts or physical stores, shopping-center, and cafes are shared spaces for pop-ups. Many big box stores used these spaces to create pop-up showrooms. Lastly, make sure the temporary retail store location is safe and secure.

For retailers, work out your timing.

When choosing a time to open your Pop-up store, you want to ensure that it's convenient for both the shoppers and your business.

As a retailer, if you're opening a pop-up store that sells merchandise like clothing or other items, there are certain times of the year when your shopper's base will be most engaged in shopping. For example, if you own an outdoor apparel store and plan on having a winter clothing pop-up during fall or winter (November through March), it would be wise to choose November through February as your window of opportunity. This way, everyone who shops at this time has enough time to save up for their purchases before their next trip outdoors (which could take place in April).

Since the goal of a Pop-up store is often promotion for brand awareness rather than sales revenue itself, we recommend keeping things simple by ensuring that every aspect--from planning and execution --is done as efficiently as possible. That includes choosing a date window within which everything will take place without running out of steam before the closing day arrives. Remember, the shopper's retail experience will make them return and bring more referrals.

Optimize your Marketing Strategy. Get the word out there in advance.

Let’s say you have an idea for a pop-up store, and the time is right! You’ve got a great retail space in mind, or at least one that will do for now. The next step is to get shoppers to come by and check out your work. Use social media as your marketing strategy to promote the event, but don’t rely entirely upon it—you need to tell future shoppers about this event well before having it.

Email marketing can also be very effective; if you have an email list, use that list! If not, consider creating one (and make sure shoppers know they can opt out). A website or blog post announcing your plans is another good way to get noticed. And don't forget about old-fashioned word of mouth: put up posters around town with information about the event, or ask if anyone would mind putting one up at their office!

Make the most of your pop-up store retail experience.

Before opening your physical store or pop-up store, you can do a few things to make the most of your experience. These include:

Make sure you have a good space for inventory. Visual merchandising is an essential aspect of retailing. A well-located pop-up will attract more shoppers and create more buzz than one tucked away from foot traffic or in an area not known for shopping.

Have an excellent social media presence. Posting regular updates on Facebook and Instagram will help promote your brand, leading to increased sales at your pop-up store when shoppers see what’s happening there before they visit in person! And don’t forget about Twitter! It may not have as many users as Facebook or Instagram does. Still, it has some of them, so don't leave them out when planning what omnichannel retail is best suited for reaching potential shoppers who might be interested in visiting your pop-up store during its opening week/month, etc...

Make sure that you have enough inventory available and don’t have an empty shop, so shoppers don't miss out because they didn't know how much stock was left until after they had already made plans with friends who were waiting outside the front door, ready with money drawn up just minutes before opening time (and if someone else bought all those items first then chances are those friends won't come back later today anyway). Don't disappoint anyone by shopping by running out too quickly, though - try keeping track of daily numbers sold so everyone knows exactly how much longer this sale lasts (or maybe even extend it another day?). A retail store like Apple Store creates a personalized experience as part of its marketing mix. 

Create an inventory merchandising system.

Setting up an inventory merchandising management system is the first step in creating a pop-up store. Your inventory will be the backbone of your store, so it must be organized and accessible to everyone involved in the process.

Ideally, you'll want to set up a software system that integrates seamlessly with your point-of-sale (POS) software and any third-party software you use for accounting or marketing purposes. Make sure your system is mobile devices ready. If this is out of budget, choose whichever option seems most feasible: spreadsheet, physical inventory system, or a combination of both.

Inventory management software can help streamline processes like purchasing and receiving stock; automatically generating invoices based on sales orders; keeping track of taxes due on products sold; assisting with auditing purposes; calculating product costs; analyzing sales trends over time—all at no extra cost!

Create your own brand identity and marketing materials.

The first step in creating a successful pop-up store is building your brand identity. Branding is one of the most crucial parts of marketing, as it identifies a product or service and distinguishes it from competitors. To build effective branding for your pop-up store, you'll need to consider what will set your brand apart from your competitor and how you want shoppers to think about it.

Here are some things that can help differentiate your business:

• A branded, well-designed logo and signage
• A trendy and recognizable color scheme (for example, red for Valentine's Day)
• Create a Pricing Strategy or Pricing tactics
• Best checkout experience
• Customer-loyalty awards program
• An Omni-channel Customer experience
• Assortment between products to showcase different products
• Similarities between products (this would apply if all items fall under one theme).

Make sure you put enough effort into planning and promoting your pop-up store is a success!

• Plan ahead
• Curate pop-up store promotions in-advance
• Make sure you have enough time to promote your pop-up store
• If you are the business owner, bring 1-2 sales associates that can assist. 
• Browsing is very common in a retail stores. If you have an online store, create a business card and share it with customers to encourage them to buy online. This will help you bring up your online sales.
• Make sure you have enough inventory.

Pop-up shops are a great way to market your brand and get shoppers interested in what you do. As long as you plan and put in the time to promote yourself effectively, there’s no reason why your event can’t be a success! The key is to create a brand experience that everyone will love.

Author: Faye Calangian | Create Share Educate LLC founder, Project Manager, Business Coach, and Blogger.